The Sprout

WWI Practice Trenches in Wytham Woods

The newsletter for North Hinksey & Botley

Issue 132 November 2018

The Sprout

Issue 132, November 2018

Contents

3 WWCC update

7 Cumnor Choral

9 Leave no Trace

13 Xpressway – Legal challenge

15 Botley/Kennington PPG

17 Remembrance

19 Parish Council’s new website

21 Don’t burn Ernie!

23 Stephen Howse’s Clock

27 Really Affordable Homes

29 CAB on Hate Crime

31 Brownies and Badges

35 Wytham Woods in WWI

37 Crumb of Comfort (3)

39 Randoms and Photo comp

43 Local Organizations

From the Editor

11th November is the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI, and

serendipitously this year it is also Remembrance Sunday. Our cover

picture is an early aerial photo of the practice trenches in Wytham Woods,

investigated by Mike Bartlam on page 35. On page 17 is a reminder of the

Parish Council’s Service of Remembrance in Botley Cemetery, with some

extracts from the autograph book of a WWI nurse. This issue also includes

a range of local initiatives you may want to know about – a legal challenge

to the proposed Expressway (p.13), good news about a plan to build

affordable homes in Dean Court (p.27), help for victims of hate crimes

(p.29), and an invitation to join the patients’ participation group for the local

medical practice (p.15). The Parish Council has gone to some trouble to

make its website more accessible (p.19). There’s a history of the Elms

Parade clock on page 23, and a thought-provoking review of the different

rules for litter in wild and remote places (p.9). If you too have been

recording the carnage as our former shopping centre bites the dust, you

may be interested in the new Sprout competition on page 39. Finally,

Bonfire Night is coming up, so please make sure your bonfire hasn’t

become a winter retreat for hedgehogs before you set fire to it (p.21). Lots

going on then, and it’s all here in your favourite local rag!

Ag MacKeith

Update on the Shopping Centre from WWCC

Key works taking place during October and early November include:

 Completing demolition – removing foundations/ crushing materials

 Completing 15 temporary car parking spaces opposite Elms Court

 Completing site hoarding and forming the long-term pedestrian path

through the site

 Casting the concrete building frame and slabs for Block B

 Erecting tower cranes

 Further excavations and ground preparations;

 Piling works.

Annual General Meeting

Our Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday 27th November at

7:30pm in the Church Hall of St Peter and Paul's Church, West Way. It

would be helpful if you could let us know if you expect to attend, RSVP to

westwayconcern@gmail.com.

A look back over the past year

Changes at the shopping centre

 The remaining traders left the centre

 A mystery graffiti artist used the boarded-up units to make some

strong comments

 This was replaced by commissioned street art and artwork by the

children of Botley School

 The site was finally sold to Botley Development Company (Mace) in

January, for £12.4m, the Vale having reduced the price by £1.2m

 The former Grant Thornton building and Elms Court were re-fitted to

provide accommodation for temporary replacements for Seacourt

Hall, the Baptist Church, Co-op and Tesco. Portacabins for

Chancellor’s estate agents and Lloyd’s pharmacy were provided.

WWCC engagement with Vale planning department and Mace / SDC

Over the past year, WWCC have raised a number of issues about the

centre, and the following problems were resolved:

 Lack of waste bins and then over-full bins in the centre

 The need for clearly marked pedestrian access routes

 Contractor vehicles parked in neighbouring streets

 Parking restrictions

 Lighting

 Problems of access for those of limited mobility (the Vale’s Equality

Officer was also involved in resolving this).

 Some of the concerns raised by WWCC during the planning

consultation process were taken into consideration, namely:

– Construction traffic routing via Westminster Way into the site

– Adequate cycle parking stands to be provided for the retail units.

– Delivery routes using Arthray Road, and unloading of vehicles in

shared areas

– Landscaping of the main street through the centre, which includes

steps and ramps

– Lack of secure cycle parking for the student accommodation.

WWCC's ongoing role

WWCC continues its two-fold role:

 To provide a means of communication on the development and to

raise issues of concern with Mace and their contractors

 To continue to monitor planning conditions until the work is finished.

From the WWCC newsletter

Cumnor Choral Society 60 YEARS young!

In October 1958 very few people can have realized what was about to be

created. Cumnor Choral Society started as a group of people, keen on

music, who all enjoyed a good sing. Thanks to efficient management and

enthusiastic members, it succeeded.

The age range at the first rehearsal was 9 to 87 years. Naturally,

numbers fluctuated. Talented young conductors moved on to higher

musical careers and young people in the choir moved on to further

education, parenthood and other challenges. Other members joined and

soon realized the delights of a weekly sing leading to a performance with

a paying audience. Our next concert is Haydn’s ‘Creation’(see below).

Voice tests were never (and will never be) part of the Choral Society. All

that is asked is enthusiasm for singing and a willingness to accept the

challenge of music, which can be so rewarding. One of the rewards

comes at every rehearsal, in the form of a cuppa and a biscuit and an

opportunity to meet new friends and renew old friendships. Talking is as

important as singing.

Sixty years! Who would have thought it would last so long? We must be

doing something right. Over the

years, most of the original

members have moved up to join

the heavenly choir, but many more

have kept it going strong.

The Choral Society always

welcomes new members. Every

member brings something new to

enrich and develop the Society,

and takes from it something

pleasant, personal and permanent.

Now sixty years old, Cumnor

Choral Society has established

itself as a Choral Society worth

listening to and worth joining. It

has no intentions of retiring – ever!

Here's to the next 60 years … and

beyond.

Rosie Smith (Founder member)

Leave no Trace

When Neil Armstrong first set foot on the moon, it became changed for

ever. The image of his boot-print in moon dust became iconic. But, apart

from the American flag, a lot of other debris was left there too.

Everywhere we go we leave traces of ourselves. Some, like bacteria and

footprints, are inevitable. But most of what we leave behind is down to

human carelessness.

Every few weeks, the John Muir Trust sends volunteers to the summit of

Ben Nevis to pick

up the trash left

behind by visitors.

Of the 18 bin bags

collected in 2011,

ten were filled with

banana skins.

Over one

thousand skins

were recovered,

along with orange

peel and the

remains of other

fruits and egg shells. Apparently visitors think this behaviour is acceptable

because what they leave behind is “biodegradable“. This betrays a false

concept of what the word biodegradable actually means. It does mean

that, unlike plastic, it will eventually get broken down. But the key word

here is eventually. There are many estimates of exactly how long it takes

because it depends on environmental conditions such as rainfall and

temperature. The organic waste does not just self-destruct like the secret

instructions in Mission Impossible. It has to be broken down by insects,

fungi and bacteria. Mountain tops are cold, inhospitable places with low

biodiversity and consequent low breakdown rates. Estimates for exactly

how long it takes range between two to ten years or more. But that does

not include the annoying little country of origin labels stuck on the skin.

That’s plastic. That does not biodegrade. (Look in any homemade

compost and you will see the wretched things.)

When this detritus does finally get broken down, there is a further

problem. It becomes fertiliser. Plants which live on mountain tops are

adapted to surviving in thin, nutrient-poor soils. These tiny delicate plants

form a very fragile ecosystem. With additional fertiliser, other plants,

springing from seeds blown in on the wind or brought in on walker’s boots,

are able to survive and thrive. These aggressive incomers out-compete

the mountain plants for resources and destroy them.

Exactly the same phenomenon occurs when people climb to mountain

summits to spread grandad’s ashes. Now that 70% of people are

cremated, people compete with each other to do something ’special’.

Grandad cannot just be laid to rest in his favourite rose bed. His urn must

be dragged up a mountain where he becomes unwelcome fertiliser.

Those in charge of these delicate habitats are begging people to think

twice about this. So many visitors are now bringing ash with them that it

can be inches thick in some places. The plants are smothered. The

ecosystem is dead. In other countries, the problem is just as bad.

Everest is now so popular as a destination that tons of human excrement

are left there every year. No-one is willing to bring it back down.

And then there are cigarette butts. I have never found a place, no matter

how remote, that is not contaminated by dog-ends. The Ring of Brodgar,

an ancient stone circle in Orkney that has been held sacred for thousands

of years is thick with them. Would people stub out their cigarettes in the

aisle of a church? Probably not. But then they think of ’outside’ as a

limitless space where everything quietly disappears and is not their

problem. There is also, again, this bizarre belief that butts will biodegrade

so it is O.K. (even though illegal) to drop them. Totally wrong. The filters

in butts are made of plastic.

Unless removed, they sit in the soil for thousands of years, leaching their

toxins into the ground with unknown consequences. Some birds are

known to pick them up and use them as nest material. It may be that the

nicotine acts as an insecticide and reduces the number of parasites

feeding on the baby birds. Nobody is really sure. But this behaviour

shows how easy it is for birds to find butts in natural habitats. Next time

you are walking in Raleigh Park or Wytham Woods, look down at the

path. I guarantee that cigarette-butts will be there somewhere.

People are encouraged to go walking and climbing to improve their

mental and physical health. Standing ankle deep in piles of human

remains, banana skins and dog-ends is unlikely to have a positive effect

on either!

Linda Losito

Oxford–Cambridge Expressway legal challenge

In September, the government announced that the preferred route for the

Oxford-Cambridge expressway will be some combination of west and

east routes around the city:

The expressway is expected to facilitate development in the corridor

between Oxford and Cambridge, including the development of 100,000

more homes.

A western route would have a significant impact on Botley and North

Hinksey. It could involve the junction closures, road widening, new

signals, new/higher barriers, faster traffic, more traffic, as well as

construction work to facilitate all of this. The A34 already splits our

community, but an expressway would split it even more. It would also

affect wildlife sites along the route, including Port Meadow. The route

was chosen with no public consultation, and no formal environmental

impact assessment process.

The Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust is legally challenging this

decision. To find out more, including how to donate to the legal challenge,

see https://www.bbowt.org.uk/wildlife/nature-matters/oxford-cambridge-

expressway. BBOWT’s address is The Lodge, 1 Armstrong Road,

Littlemore OX4 4XT.

Riki Therivel

Patients to the fore in Botley and Kennington

From April 2016 it has been a contractual requirement for all English

medical practices to form patient participation groups (PPG). Some PPGs

meet regularly, while some form online groups.

PPGs operate according to local needs. They can play important roles

including:

 Advising the practice on the patient perspective

 Organising health promotion events

 Communicating with the wider patient body

 Fund raising to improve the services provided by the practice

Who is involved with the PPG? Our PPG is a group of people who are

either patients of the Practice or work in some capacity at the Health

Centres. Patients may come along to meetings or join the committee.

The group aims to consist of as diverse a range of people as possible.

What are we currently doing?

 A patient survey in conjunction with the practice to improve the

patient experience.

 Putting on health promotion events and talks

 Networking with support groups

We have started to write an action plan detailing what we would like to

see at the practice, including support for the doctors and staff who work

there and information for patients.

If you are a patient of the Botley and Kennington Practice then the PPG

is your voice. Please get involved! If you can, read our notice board

when you are at the health centre; and of course, read our articles in the

Kennington Chronicle and The Sprout. We are looking for members with

a range of healthcare perspectives

and needs who can make a

positive contribution to the current

group.

Please contact me (by phone on

07970 626443 or 01865 327739 or

by email at sybuck@hotmail.co.uk)

or any of the PPG group that you

may know.

Sylvia Buckingham, Chairperson

Excerpts from my Grandmother’s Autograph Book

Remembrance Sunday this year is on 11th November, which is also the

100th anniversary of the end of the First World War. There will be the

usual Parish Council-run ecumenical service at the Commonwealth War

Graves in Botley Cemetery, starting at 10.45.

The brief entries below are from the autograph book of Alice Wainwright,

grandmother of a Botley resident, who lent it to soldiers she was nursing.

It’s not clear whether it was the

soldiers themselves who wrote the

entries. The photo is of Holborn

Military Hospital (which closed in

1919 and is now demolished) with

a couple of nurses just visible

through the gateway on the right.

The mills of God grind slowly

But they grind exceedingly small,

So soft and slow the great wheels

go they scarcely move at all;

And the souls of men fall into them

And are powdered into dust,

And in the dust grows sweet white flowers – Love, Hope, Trust.

(E. Damiral, Holborn Military Hospital)

Do little things as though they are great things

And you will learn to do great things

As though they were little things. (A.M. Stace)

Logic

A young mother of eight

Sat up very late

Mending her husband’s pyjamas,

Why? –

‘A stitch in time saves nine.’ ( A.J. Cuff R.G.A 14.10.1918 )

(My grandmother was so shocked at the punch line that she tried to

scrub it out in the book!)

Viv Smith

Your new Parish Council website

North Hinksey Parish Council has a new website launching at the

beginning of November.

The home page will be changing from this:

to this:

The website can be found at the same URL: http://northhinksey-pc.gov.uk

and the change will happen around 1st November. We expect little – if

any – unavailability of the website during the transition, but if you do

experience any problems, try refreshing or come back a bit later.

The new website has been created by Oxford-based company Kitson

Consulting. It is built in Wordpress, probably the most well-used website

platform, meaning it will be easy to keep up to date. It is also mobile-

optimized. Instead of seeing a smaller version of the site on your phone

or tablet, the website pages will adjust to the screen size, with menus,

images and text displayed in more useful ways. We have tidied up the

pages to make the information more focused and hope it will provide

easier access to the information you need.

Please take a look and let us know what you think. Also, as with all new

websites, there are likely to be bugs and mistakes so please let us know

if you spot any. You can email me at lberrett.nhpc@gmail.com.

We are also looking for more images of Botley and North Hinksey to use

on the home page. That’s where we need your help. We’d like to feature

different images each season or even every month. Look out for details

of a picture competition on the website and our Facebook page.

Lorna Berrett, NHPC Councillor and Webmaster

Don’t burn Ernie!

I love bonfires – I have deep and good memories of helping my father,

feeding a fire in the garden as Autumn tumbled the leaves from the trees. I

loved the smell, the crackling sound and the sight of tongues of flame

reaching skyward.

Bonfires and hedgehogs are tragically related ... especially at this time of the

year. If you want to build the perfect hedgehog ‘hibernaculum’ (the special

nest they use for hibernation) I would suggest gathering a big pile of dry

leaves, then surrounding these with a tent of twigs. Around this, build a

structure of heavier and larger pieces of wood – until you have got an

amazing ... bonfire.

PLEASE, please do one of three things.

1. Safest is to build your bonfire on the day you want to light it.

2. If that is impossible, then please do check – blunt end of a garden rake

poked into the base, then lever it all up and rescue whoever might be

living there.

3. Finally, for large events where this is impossible, consider surrounding

the structure with hedgehog proof fencing. That might sound like a lot of

work, but do you really want to risk an incinerated hedgehog on your

conscience?

And please don't burn your leaves!

Hedgehogs cannot survive

hibernation without an insulating

layer of leaves.

There are many more simple ideas to

help hedgehogs at Hedgehog

Street and the British Hedgehog

Preservation Society. Drop by their

websites and have a look. And if you

want more ... I will shamelessly point

you to A Prickly Affair and Hedgehog,

the two (very different) books I have

written about our favourite animal! I

run courses too – Hedgehog Ecology

and Management for Practitioners,

aimed at land managers, local

authorities, ecological consultants

and developers ... drop me a line at

HedgeOx if you would like me to run

one for you. Hugh Warwick

Stephen Howse’s clock

An 1876 map shows the land

known as Elms Farm, Botley to be

surrounded by fields and

agricultural buildings. In 1916

Stephen Howse and his wife Kate

moved with their six children from

Yarnton, purchasing it with

Hutchcomb Farm from Lord

Abingdon and his creditors.

When the southern bypass (A34)

was finished in 1935, Stephen

Howse decided to apply for

planning permission to build a parade of shops to serve the growing local

community and his family. This being granted, Elms Parade was built in

1937. Many of the Howse family have at some point lived in the flats and

in fact Shop Number 1 (now Spicers Opticians) was originally run by the

family as a grocery and general store.

The building of Elms Parade was a brave decision considering the

depression of the 1930s and the Second World War two years away.

After Stephen’s death in 1941 and Kate's in 1952 , the family decided to

erect a clock in their memory in the middle section of the projecting roof

gable. The letters are enamelled bronze which was the same format as

the original shop names – the last to survive was Gaisford Hairdressers,

which lasted up to just a few years ago. The twelve letters of Stephen

Howse’s name replaced the numbers on the clock.

Originally the clock was from English Clock Systems of London which

was a half-minute impulse clock with workings in the lounge of Flat 5.

According to Arthur Howse, this could make quite a loud noise! It ran on

nickel–iron batteries, with negative outer cases and positive centre poles,

linked together to make 12 volts in 9 cases.

In 2003 a new movement and hands were installed, made by Smiths of

Derby. The movement has an auto restart unit which controls the clock

during power failures as well as providing automatic summer and winter

time alterations. It was upgraded in 2010 to model SA15/18 which

incorporates the memory battery.

There have been a number of problems over the years especially at

winter and summertime change-overs! There have been at least three

new motors and fuses in the past few years which suggests that the

motors were faulty. Fingers crossed there should now be no further

problems.

Elms Parade is still owned by the Howse family, some third and now

fourth generations. The 1930s iconic terrace has been deemed a

"heritage asset" and has remained despite being marked for demolition

in the original proposed redevelopment, which luckily failed to materialise.

The Howse family are extremely grateful to all those who helped preserve

this building, which is very dear to them.

Hedges Butchers, formerly of the Covered Market in Oxford, now

occupies Shop 3. It is open for business and well worth visiting and we

hope it will be very successful. These are challenging times but, all being

well, Elms Parade will thrive and prosper for many years to come.

Caroline Kellner nee Howse, Trustee of Elms Parade and grand-

daughter of Stephen and Kate Howse.

Really affordable homes, at a place near you!

Many of you will know that since 2012, Oxfordshire Community Land

Trust has been doing everything in its power to create a few permanently

affordable homes in the

parish. We were very close to

starting on site in 2015 when

we hit a legal issue. The photo

shows three CLT directors

clearing the site when it was

first acquired five years ago.

Three years on this has finally

been resolved and we are

back in business. In July we

had an open meeting in Dean

Court Community Centre at

which TSH (local) architects showcased our revised plans for the site. We

will soon be submitting a new planning application. We are still

committed to

i. building affordable homes

ii. homes for people in housing need and

iii. homes for people with a local connection.

Why is this important I hear you say? . It’s so tiny, what difference can it

make? Well, I agree it’s not huge but, starting with this tiny site, OCLT’s

hope is that by demonstrating what is possible there could in time, be a

small similar community-owned, community-led housing development in

every neighbourhood or village. That would make a difference. 6–10

homes in every village and suburb in the county!

The benefits of our model need to be spelled out but in the absence of

time and space only two will be listed here:

 Permanent affordability: unlike developer-led homes no one is in this

for the money, and in particular there is no Right to Buy so the home

doesn’t go on the market and remains affordable to someone in need,

in perpetuity.

 Antidote to loneliness: Homes are designed with local needs in mind

and co-operation and neighbourliness are designed in through

various mechanisms. We’re not talking ‘Grand Designs’ here but

perhaps ‘Small Designs’ where the attention to detail, so beloved of

Kevin McCloud, is in local hands and the buildings are made with

future residents involved or if not involved, at least in mind. The

intention is to design in whatever the opposite of loneliness is. Would

developer-built homes be quite so small and poor quality if the

directors were going to live in them themselves?

As the Dean Court Project slowly progresses we are thinking about the

next steps to develop the sector. A huge plus was a recent government

announcement of £163m until 2020 specifically for community-led

homes.www.gov.uk/government/collections/community-housing-fund.

OCLT hopes to benefit from this. But you could too!

This article is a call to local people: this is the time for other groups to

come forward. OCLT is working with Community First Oxfordshire to set

up a local advisory hub to develop as many viable groups as possible.

Get in touch if you can help with any of the following:

 You know of some land that could be brought forward for community-

led homes. In other parts of the country we hear of philanthropic land

owners who are considering selling off-market or donating land to a

land trust or similar local group where there is an asset lock. Adding

No Right to Buy ensures the benefits remain with the local area in

perpetuity.

 You know of any individuals or

groups who might want to try to either

build or retrofit an existing home to

provide permanently affordable

homes (as has been done at the

Kindlings Housing Co-op in Cowley.

www.kindlingcoop.org )

 OCLT are at the early stages of

developing a Community Share Offer

to help fund the building of the Dean

Court Project next year. It is hoped to

do this with Ethex

(www.ethex.org.uk). Let us know if

you’d be interested in being one of

the investors.

If you can help with any of the above,

or just want to find out more, you can

email me on fran.ryan@oclt.org.uk

Fran Ryan, OCLT

Citizens Advice offers

haven for "hate crime” victims

Victims and witnesses of hate crime in south

Oxfordshire who are unwilling to talk directly to the

police now have a place to go to report incidents.

Since July 2018, Citizens Advice Oxfordshire South and Vale has

become a "hate crime reporting centre", providing a safe environment

where you can tell specially trained staff what happened to you. Citizens

Advice staff and volunteers can then act on your behalf, contacting the

police if you want this, and referring you to "Victims First", a service which

will provide the support you need to recover from your experience.

Hate incidents or crimes are acts of violence or hostility directed at people

because of their personal characteristics or because of what other people

think those characteristics are. For example, you might be verbally

abused in the street because you are disabled or gay, or because

somebody thinks you are.

Hate incidents are commonly sparked off by people's prejudices over

disability, race, religion or sexual orientation. These incidents take many

forms, including threats and harassment, verbal abuse, intimidation,

physical attacks, hate mail or online abuse, or damage to your home or

car.

You can report a hate incident or hate crime even if it wasn't directed at

you personally.

Contact Citizens Advice in person during opening hours or on the

telephone (Adviceline 03 444 111444). Locations of offices and opening

hours are at www.citizensadvice.org.uk/local/oxfordshire-south-vale

Brownies and Badges

Less than a fortnight after our Brownie Holiday we welcomed Iris to our

Pack at the start of the new term.

Apart from the Leaders it has been

all change with Girlguiding

introducing a new programme.

We volunteers are trying to

understand what it all means as

well as advising the Brownies not

to delay doing those interest

badges that they always meant to

do but never got round to doing!

We have a year to get to grips with

the new programme and then all

the old badges will be gone, to be

replaced by fewer badges.

Girlguiding tells us that the new

programme has six consistent

themes that run all the way from

Rainbows to Rangers.

In the meantime, it was time to

number-crunch all the interest badges that had been earned at 2nd Botley

Brownies and work out who had won our 21st Shield and, consequently,

our Brownie of the Year. Attending every event that we offered over the

last year would have achieved eight badges in the following order: Free

Being Me, 28 Days Around the World, Brownie Skills, Out & About,

Equaliteas, Trefoil Challenge, Robin Hood Challenge and either Brownie

Holiday or Brownie Holiday Advanced. Not even all the Leaders managed

to attend everything, so the chances were that the top girls would have had

to do some interest badges on their own.

Some 153 badges were given out in the last year and it turned out that the

top spot with nine badges was shared jointly by three girls. The whole point

of our unit's 21st Shield is that it is something special which we started when

our unit turned 21 in 1993 and is only given out to one girl (or, very

occasionally, two) who has worked hard all year earning her own interest

badges as well as those that we offer. Therefore, we had to distinguish

between the top three girls as there was no way they could all be called our

‘Brownie of the Year.’ Analysing the actual badges they had earned, we

decided to weight the badges according to whether or not they had done

them on their own. This enabled us to find an eventual joint winner. The first

place was shared between Connie and Wiktoria, with Leah earning second

place (see photo above). Congratulations!

Owls Tawny and Snowy have just returned from an adventure weekend

recce. Tawny managed to find us an adventure holiday firm approved by

Girlguiding that offered free (yes really!) taster mini weekends. It was rather

like a prospective university visit with all catering included, crossed with an

actual adventure weekend. As we

never ask our Brownies to do

anything we are not prepared to

do ourselves we must say that we

had a great time trying

(sometimes more than once)

some of the activities on offer.

We were extremely well looked

after and after wonderful cheese

and wine (not available to the

girls) we won the quiz evening by

teaming up with Warwickshire

Brownie leaders to beat both the

resident team and school

teachers from Essex and Suffolk.

After the enthusiastic response

we received from our feedback to

our unit about the weekend we are

now looking into making a

booking.

Lucy Howes

Wytham Woods’ Dark Secret

It is difficult to imagine,

whilst strolling through

this peaceful, ancient

woodland (parts of

which date back to the

Ice Age), that a

hundred years ago it

served a sinister

purpose. It was here

that World War One

training trenches were

dug. They can still be

seen winding almost a

mile between the trees

at the northern edge of

the woods. They are now the most extensive trenches left in the south

of England.

I was taken around them by Nigel Fisher, the Conservator of Wytham

Woods. He rather modestly described his role, quoting an Oxford

professor, as “the groundsman who creates the playing fields for

researchers of Oxford to play in!”

At first all I could see was a long hollow snaking between the trees,

possibly a supply line (see photo).

Moving further into the woods, the complex web of trenches became

evident, heading off in various directions. The aerial photograph clearly

(on this month’s Sprout cover) shows the ‘northern front’ and the

‘southern front’ thus creating ‘no man’s land’. From the ‘fronts’ lead

trenches for communications and supervision, supply lines, officers’

shelters, latrines, passing places and shell trenches or ‘slits’ - the deepest

trenches - replicating as closely as possible the real thing.

Training here would have been the Oxford University Officers Training

Corps (OUOTC), one of the oldest units in the British Army, dating back

to 1642, to which CS Lewis was attached as a cadet. Oxbridge

Universities supplied many young officers and tragically the OUOTC lost

some 2,000 during the conflict. The ffenell family generously donated the

one-thousand-acre Wytham Woods estate to the University in 1943. Thus

this year marks both the centenary of the end of the Great War and the

75th anniversary of the University’s taking custody of the estate and its

trenches.

How appropriate that the woods that once provided a training ground for

young soldiers should have become a training ground for young

scientists.

Mike Bartlam

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Crumb of Comfort (3)

The Manna Café

It was a hot day on 25 August, when I

and my partner visited the Botley

Baptist Church’s café on the 1st floor of

the Grant Thornton building, next to the

Church’s temporary home during the

West Way centre redevelopment.

The Manna Café has a comfortable

village-tea-room atmosphere, created

by wicker furniture and surrounding

wattle fencing which separates it from

the Church proper. There’s also a baby

bouncer, a couple of shelves of books

and a wall display of about a dozen

clocks. Some of this has been donated by customers.

We got a cheerful welcome from Megan Antell, behind the serving

hatch.She served us coffees and Jaffa-inspired sponge cake made by

her mother, Anna Antell. Anna is a Baptist church luminary,

semi-professional baker and caterer, and founder of the Manna Café,

which is an independent business.

As you munch, it is possible to look out of a window to view Botley from

a higher perspective, which gives a more spacious feeling than at street

level. We were told that if you present a copy of The Sprout when you

buy a slice of cake, your coffee (or tea) will be free.

The Manna is open 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Saturday.

Grant Nightingale

Randoms

Photo Competition

What did you think of the photo on last month’s cover?

The Sprout is aware that John Gaisford, who took it, is just one of many

of our readers who have been documenting the changing face of Botley

as the shopping centre bites the dust. We’d love to know what other

images people have come up with. So we’re inviting you to send us your

photos – with captions, if you like – and we’ll publish the best ones. Here

are a couple of crackers to get you started. Brian Russell Gray took them,

as the Westway Tower came down.

First bite Look out below!

WWCC AGM

West Way Community Concern Annual General meeting will be held on

Tuesday 27th November at 7:30pm at the Church Hall of St Peter and St

Paul's Church, West Way, Botley.

Mary Gill

Farewell lovely tree

We weren’t the only ones to mourn the passing of the Baptists’ beech

tree (Crumbs of Comfort, last month). Thank you, Uwe Ackerman who

sent us this photo. That respectful bunch of tulips on the right says it all!

Fundraising with fireworks at Botley School

The Bonfire Night jamboree is the Friends of Botley School’s biggest

fundraising event of the year, and the cash is sorely

needed, given the state of some of the school

buildings. This year it will be held on Friday 2nd

November, and will include hot food, BBQ and

refreshments. The gates open at 6pm, and the

massive firework display will be at 7. Tickets are

cheaper if bought in advance, and can be got from the

school office or Botley Library. Laura Jones (chair of FOBS)

Botley Bridges courses for families

First Aid Course and Family Links: Our First Aid Course for Parents

and Carers is on Monday Nov 5th, 1–3pm OR Tuesday Nov 6th,6.30 –

8.30pm at Botley Bridges, cost £20 per person, (non-mobile) babies

accommodated. NO STAY AND PLAY SESSION ON MONDAY 5TH due

to the First Aid course taking place.

Family Links nurturing course starts on Wednesday Nov 7th, 7pm–

9pm, cost is £40 per person (£20 for those on income related benefit).

This covers the whole 10 weeks as well as the course handbook.

For a place on either course, please contact Hayley or Sue at Botley

Bridges. See www.botleybridges.org

Macmillan Volunteers

We know how hard it is to cope with the physical, practical and emotional

effects of cancer. It can leave you feeling isolated and finding essential

tasks hard to perform. Coping can be especially difficult if you don’t have

family or friends close by, or if you worry that you are always asking for

support from the same people. But Macmillan’s trained volunteers can

give you a helping hand. They can help for up to 12 weeks with things

like: • light gardening or housework • shopping • lifts to one-off

appointments • preparing a light meal • having a chat and a cup of tea •

going out for a coffee, visiting a garden centre or going for a walk • support

over the phone. Call us on 01904 756402 if you’d like to know more.

Christmas is Coming @Branches Café!

Branches Café is a social enterprise and our purpose is youth work. In

our After School Youth Café sessions in the run-up to Christmas

(Monday–Thursday, 3pm-5pm), young people can come into the Café,

relax, have soup or a hot drink and make festive wreaths or Christmas

decorations – contemporary, funky or traditional. From 1st Dec we would

welcome pine cones that we can decorate or donations of random

Christmas decorations that no longer suit your colour scheme so that we

can create a spectacular Christmas tree. We are open to everyone for

breakfast and lunch, 8am–3pm Monday–Thursday, 8am–5pm on Friday

and 9am–12pm on Saturday. During the Youth Café sessions, take-away

is available.

Diane Long, Director, Branches Young People’s Support Service

Organizations: If your organization is not listed here, please send details

to editor@thesprout.org.uk or telephone 724452 for inclusion.

1st Botley Brownies

Girls aged 7–10

Dean Court Community Centre Thur 6–7.30 Fiona

Wheeler, firstbotleybrownies@gmail.com

2nd Botley Brownies

Girls aged 7–10

Rosary Room, Yarnells Hill. Tues 6:15-7:45 Alison

Griffin 2ndbotleybrownies@outlook.com

4th Oxford Scout Group

Beavers, Cub Scouts, Scouts

Scout Hall, Arnolds Way; mail@thefourth.org.uk

Website: http://www.thefourth.org.uk/

15th Oxford Scout Group

Boys and girls welcome

Meet Fridays, Botley Baptist Hall Contact: Julie Tatham

01865 863074 or Amy Cusden 07887 654386

Baby & Toddler Group

Tues/Thurs 9.15–11, SS Peter & Paul Church Hall

Badminton Club

Thurs 7-8pm at Matthew Arnold Sports Hall. Garry Clark

0777 3559 314 garryclark13@gmail.com

Books on Wheels R.V.S.

Free Library Service for housebound Ox. 248142

Botley Boys & Girls F.C.

Football teams from ages 8-16

Jason Barley Ox. 242926 jbarley1@ sky.com or

Brendan Byrne 792531 brendan.byrne999@gmail.com

Botley Health Walks

Wednesday 9.30 a.m Contact: Briony 246497

Botley Library

01865 248142. Open till 7 on Friday and 1pm on Sat,

otherwise 9.30 to 5.30 (closed Wednesdays).

Botley Singers

Thur 7.30, St Andrew’s Church, Dean Court. Angela

Astley-Penny Ox.242189 angastpen@aol.com

Branches Café, Elms Court,

Open to All 8am-3pm,

Youth Cafe @ Branches 7-9pm evenings tbc. Tel:01865

251115 www.branchesyouth.uk Facebook Branches

Youth Cafe, Instagram @_branches_youth_

Community Fridge

For all. Put food in, take food out. Ss P&P church, Mon–

Sat 9–5, Sun 11–5. Riki Therivel 07759 135811

Cumnor Choral Society

Friday 7.30 to 9.30 pm Contact: 01235 533726 or

07552 786127 or www.cumnorchoral.co.uk

Cumnor Chess Club

Thurs 7–9pm Cumnor Old School. Steven Bennett

862788 www.cumnorchessclub.co.uk

Cumnor & District Historical

Society

Last Monday of the month 7.30-9.00 Cumnor Old

School. 01865 724808

Cumnor Gardening Club

Details on website at http://cumnorgardens.org.uk/ or

phone Chris Impey, 01865 721026

Harmony InSpires, Ladies'

Acappella Singing Group

Wed 7.30 at Appleton village hall. C. Casson 01235

831352 or harmonyinspires@hotmail.co.uk

Hill End Volunteer Team

Contact: David Millin on david.millin@hill-end.org, call

01865-863510 or visit www.hillend-oec.co.uk

Let’s Sing! – singing group

Weds 2pm, WOCC, details Emily 07969 522368

or email emformusic@outlook.com

Morris Dancing – Cry Havoc

Barbara Brett 249599 or bag@cryhavoc.org.uk

Mum and Baby Yoga for

babies from 6 wks to crawling

Mondays 10.30 at Dean Court CC, contact Jacqueline

Rice via https://yogawithjacqueline.co.uk

North Hinksey Preschool

and Childcare Clubs

Mon–Fri 7.45am –6.00 pm. 01865 794287 or email

nhps.manager1@gmail.com

N Hinksey Art Group

Weds 10 – 12.00 W.I. Hall Tel: Christina 07931 707997

N Hinksey Bellringers

Contact: Ray Rook 01865 241451

N Hinksey Conservation

Volunteers

Meets at weekends. Contact Voirrey Carr

07798743121 voirreyc@aol.com

N Hinksey, Friends of

Annual Cricket Match & Walk. Douglas Bond 791213.

N Hinksey Horticultural Soc

Contact: Ann Dykes Ox 251821 anndykes@hotmail.com

N Hinksey Parish Council

Alan Stone 01865 861992 nhpcclerk@msn.com

N Hinksey Youth Club

Wednesdays at Arnold's Way pavilion, call Daz on

07791 212866 or see Facebook

Over Sixties Lunch Club

Every other Thursday. Seacourt Hall. Viv Smith 01865

241539 or Jackie Warner 01865 721386

Oxford Flood Alliance

R Thurston 01865 723663 or 07973 292035

Oxford Flower Arranging Club

4th Thursday Cumnor. Dympna Walker: 01865 865259

Oxford Otters

Swimming for people with disabilities. Sundays, twice

monthly. Contact: Alan Cusden 723420

Oxford Rugby Club

Boys and girls from 5, kevin.honner@ntlworld.com

Seniors, training etc jbrodley@chandlings.org.uk.

Oxford Sports Lawn Tennis

Club, N Hinksey

Family club: Melanie Riste 848658 or

melanie_riste@hotmail.com

Parkinson’s Disease Soc

Contact: Pen Keyte, Branch Secretary 01865 556032.

Raleigh Park, Friends of

David Brown raleighpark@raleighpark.org.uk

West Way Day Centre

Mon & Fri 10–3pm, Field House, 07740 611971.

oxfordshirehub@royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk

Saturdads

Botley Bridges

Fun activities and trips for Dads and under 5’s

10 am–noon 1st Sat of month. Tel: 243955

Seacourt Hall management

committee

Contact: Michael Cockman 07766 317691

michael.cockman@gmail.com.

Shotokan Karate club

6+ WOCC twice weekly Martyn King 07836 646450

Weight Watchers

Thursdays 6pm at SS Peter & Paul Church Hall Banso

tel: 07779 253899 bansob@aol.com

West Oxford Bowls Club

Contact details on www.westoxfordbowlsclub.co.uk

West Oxford Taekwon Do

Club

Mon, Thurs 6.30-8pm, MA gym, contact Chris Hall

07815 899698 www.wotkd.co.uk

West Oxford U3A

(Uni of the 3rd Age) http://westoxfordu3a.org.uk/

Women’s Institute (Botley)

Liz Manson, 244175 email liz.manson@virginmedia.com